Sarah Campbell

I first noticed something was off with Adam when he wouldn't stop fidgeting.

I was sitting in-between him and Joel as we watched the Thanksgiving football game, Ryan shouting obscenities toward the TV from the kitchen.

Adam's legs were constantly bouncing, his hands either twisting in his lap or running through his hair. He looked like he was stressing out about something.

Maybe my family overwhelmed him?

That wouldn't be the first time someone was uncomfortable in my house. When I first started bringing Aubrey around, she refused to leave my bedroom in fear that she'd run into one of my brothers.

Now Aubrey would happily parade into this room, insult Caden, and nestle up next to Joel.

I always thought she and Joel would become something more, but Joel never showed any interest in anyone really.

I felt Adam's leg press against mine as he changed his seating position yet again.

I glanced toward Terrence, but he was across the room, talking with Caden about something to do with the two football teams playing.

Football never interested me, and I couldn't give less of a shit about the game.

"What do you think, QB?" Caden called out.

Adam glanced up, his eyebrows furrowed together. "What?"

Caden gestured toward the TV. "About the Cowboys defense?"

"I think it's all bullshit," I said, before Adam had the chance to answer, "and that we should be watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving."

Caden began to boo toward me as Aiden threw a throw pillow in my direction.

"It's true!"

Joel stood up without looking up from his phone. "Hey, Ryan, did you change the wifi password?"

"Joel agrees with me," I said, sticking out my tongue toward Caden. "He just didn't want to say it out loud."

Adam abruptly stood up, turning and heading toward the kitchen.

"Get some of those sugared pecans and bring them out here!" Aiden called out toward him. He glanced toward me. "What's the QB's name?"

"He has to remember all of your names and you can't remember just one?" I asked, with a laugh.

That earned me another throw pillow to the face.

"Where did the QB go?" Caden asked. "Is he bringing sugared pecans or what?"

Terrence stood up. "I'll bring the sugared pecans. And locate Adam."

I couldn't help but notice the concern in Terrence's eyes, his tense shoulders and lips pressed into a tight line.

I followed Terrence into the kitchen, where Ryan and Lindsey were trying to determine if the turkey was ready for consumption.

"The internal temperature is right," Ryan said, reading the thermometer they'd stuck into the turkey. "But it just looks wrong."

"I think you're overthinking things," Lindsey said, with a laugh. "Sarah, what do you think?"

It looked like a turkey to me. "Looks great."

"Hey, peer mentor," Terrence said, nudging my shoulder. "He's out back. I'll be right there."

"Who said I came in here for Adam?"

Terrence rolled his eyes in response. "Just go."

He returned the sugared pecans to the living room, as promised, as I stepped out onto the back patio.

The girls were all drawing sidewalk chalk art on the patio, the younger ones trying to mimic the older ones' artwork.

Adam was seated on one of the patio chairs, his phone in hand.

"Hey there."

He glanced up, eyes wide. "Jesus fuck, you scared the shit out of me."

All the girls heard that.

"That's a bad word!" Lizzie shouted out. "Aunt Sarah's friend said a bad word."

I could tell that Adam was about to snap at her.

"You're right," I said, with a nod. "Say you're sorry, Adam."

He lowered his gaze at me, and I just offered a smile in return, gesturing towards the kids. "Come on now, Adam, you wouldn't want to make a bad impression on these children now would you?"

"I don't give a-"

That's as far as he got before I slapped my hand over his mouth, the rest of his sentence coming out muffled.

I'm almost positive there were at least three swear words.

"Why don't you girls go inside and get washed up?" I asked, offering them a smile. "The turkey is almost ready."

They did as I asked, and I removed my hand from Adam's mouth, glaring at him.

"They're kids, Adam."

"So what? They've never heard a curse word?"

I gave him a hard shove to the shoulder. "Play nice."

He didn't respond, and I could tell that something was still bothering him.

I sat down next to him, kicking my feet up on the back porch table. "What brings you out here?"

"Just wanted some fresh air."

"And you didn't have the time to throw on a coat? It's freezing."

I glanced toward his phone, and he immediately locked it.

"Who are you secretly texting?" I asked, nudging his shoulder.

"My brother."

That wasn't the answer I was expecting.

"He wanted to know if I went home for Thanksgiving," Adam continued. "Guess he didn't make it home either."

That must be why Adam is on edge. "Are your parents upset?"

He shrugged. "Haven't heard from my dad, so I'm guessing not."

Maybe that's not why Adam's so uptight. "So you wanted to come out here to text your brother in peace?"

"Yep."

That didn't sound very convincing.

I didn't press the issue any further though, the two of us sitting in silence.

"So did Terrence send you out here?" Adam asked.

Why would he automatically assume that? "I came out here with Terrence's direction, yeah."

Adam chuckled. "Thought so."

"Why?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, his eyes scanning mine. "Are you serious?"

Was I missing something? "I mean, I know Terrence is your best friend, but why couldn't I have just come out here on my own accord? You know, to keep you company."

"Well the first reason is that you didn't," Adam said, with a slight laugh. "You already admitted to that."

"Maybe I had an ulterior motive," I said, with a shrug. "You never know."

"Secondly," Adam continued, as though I hadn't spoken, "I'm pretty sure Terrence thought I was having a mental breakdown."

Oh. "Why would he think that?"

Adam took a few moments to stare at me in dumbfounded confusion.

Clearly I was missing something very obvious. "Because you didn't go home for Thanksgiving?" I guessed, trying to fill in the blanks.

"You were standing right there when I downed some of Terrence's beer."

"Wait, what?" I asked, my eyebrows shooting up.

This makes a lot more sense now. Why Adam's been fidgeting, why Terrence sat across the room, and why he wanted me to come out here to check up on Adam.

"I told him I'm fine," Adam said, with an eye roll. "One sip isn't going to kill me."

He was clearly lying, but I didn't want to call him out on it.

If he thought he could strong-will his way through this, then I wasn't going to stop him.

"Of course, you're right," I said, with a smile. "Terrence is probably just being overprotective, isn't that his MO?"

"Yeah," Adam said, with a half-smile. "Something like that."

Silence lapsed between us once again as I tried to come up with a different way to bring up the subject, a way to make sure that Adam was actually okay.

Even though I strongly doubted that he was.

But before I could, Terrence came outside. "Turkey's ready."

I stood up, glancing toward Adam. "You coming?"

Terrence placed a hand on Adam's shoulder, forcing him to continue sitting. "I just have a quick question, we'll be right in."

Those two confuse the hell out of me.

I went inside, taking to washing my hands as Lindsey made dinner plates for the kids.

Once Lindsey was done, Caden immediately began making his plate.

"Rude," Meredith huffed.

"I'm starving, leave me alone."

Always such a drama queen.

Terrence and Adam came inside a few minutes later, as Meredith was finally getting her plate.

"All I wanted was some corn casserole," Meredith said, as she loaded her plate with it. "And you annoying assholes couldn't let me get some damn food."

Caden offered her a cheeky smile. "You're getting a plate now."

He barely dodged the roll she threw at him.

"No food fights, kids," Ryan said. "We're supposed to be setting the example here."

Meredith flipped him off from underneath her plate.

"Who else still needs to get food?" Ryan asked.

"I do," I said, with a wave. "And Adam and Terrence I think."

Terrence waved me off. "You guys go ahead."

"Get in there and get yourself some food," Ryan said. "We're not polite here."

That got both Terrence and Adam to laugh.

"And Joel," Caden said, glancing around the room. "Where'd he disappear to?"

As the search for Joel commenced, I took that time to load my plate with food before Adam and Terrence got the chance to.

"What is this?" Adam asked, peering down at the orange-colored casserole.

"Sweet potato casserole," I said. "It's really good."

Terrence took a helping for himself. "I'm here for it."

Ryan had a small kitchenette table that sat four people, so he'd rented pop-up tables and folding chairs for today.

The kids were all sitting at the kitchenette table, and I found myself sitting next to Aiden and Lindsey.

"It's been a while since we had a proper chat," Lindsey said, flashing me a smile. "What's up, Sarah?"

I shrugged in response. "Just trying to get my college education."

"What's the story with the two guys?" Aiden asked. "Are you dating one of them?"

"No."

"Are they dating each other?" Lindsey asked. "Because that's the vibe I got."

I doubled over in laughter, unable to contain myself.

"Are you having a spasm?" Terrence asked, with a half-smile. "Do you need assistance, Campbell?"

I waved him off, gasping for air as I tried to reign myself back in.

"I'm Terrence," he said to Aiden and Lindsey. "I'm sure I know your names."

Aiden laughed. "I'm Aiden and this is my wife, Lindsey."

"This is Terrence," I said.

"We established that," Aiden said. "So, Terrence, how do you know Campbell?"

"I forget I'm in a house of Campbells," Terrence said, with a laugh. "I know Sarah through my friend here."

As if on cue, Adam took a seat at the table, across from me and next to Lindsey.

"This is Adam," Terrence said.

Aiden nodded. "The Quarterback, right?"

"Yeah," Adam said, shooting Terrence a questioning glance.

"Okay, so how do you know Sarah?"

I raised an eyebrow at Adam as he shot me a look of desperation.

Clearly he doesn't like being in the Campbell-household spotlight.

"She's, uh, my peer mentor," Adam said. "Vanderbilt has this program-"

"I know about it," Aiden said, interrupting him. "Joel's in that program. And Sarah works for it."

I was impressed that he knew that much about us.

"So where do you rank on the Campbell chain?" Terrence asked. "Which sibling number are you?"

He let out a sharp hiss, and I could only guess that Adam kicked him under the table.

"I'm the oldest Campbell," Aiden said. "The first of the bunch."

Terrence and Aiden continued the small talk, much to my surprise.

I always knew Terrence had a likable personality, but I never realized how much of an extrovert he was, compared to Adam's quiet, introverted personality.

They say opposites attract. I guess this proves that theory.

"So, Adam, did Sarah inform you about our family competition?" Lindsey asked. "It's a tradition at Campbell Thanksgivings."

"Something about gingerbread houses, right?" Adam asked. "I think she mentioned it."

"This isn't just a gingerbread house competition," I said, pointing my fork in Adam's direction. "This is serious."

Lindsey nodded, backing me up. "Pick your team wisely."

Adam glanced between the two of us, his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "How did this start?"

"Don't ask," I said, with a shake of my head. "Just know that it's sacred."

"What's sacred?" Terrence asked.

"Gingerbread houses," Aiden answered. "I've already put my team together." He shot me a smirk. "I've won the past three years."

I immediately began shaking my head. "You cheated last year!"

"Did not!" Aiden argued.

"Did too!"

"I didn't cheat!"

"You did and everybody knows-"

"Don't start this again," Lindsey said, with a shake of her head. "I can't listen to another gingerbread house argument."

Terrence and Adam exchanged glances.

"Is there a prize?" Terrence asked.

"Bragging rights," I said. "And with six siblings, that's the greatest prize one could offer."

~*~

"How are we coming on the roof?" I asked.

"Icing nearly done," Terrence answered. "Adam is adding the chocolate decorations."

"Good," I said. "Joel?"

"The pool is nearly done," he said. "Volleyball court ready to go."

Adam glanced over toward Joel's work. "Okay, I get that the blue area is the pool and the yellow is supposed to be sand for volleyball, but what's the red area?"

"A work in progress," Joel said. "I'll let you know when it's ready."

I took a step back from our house. "The walkway is done."

"I like the Nerds," Terrence said. "Nice touch."

"Sarah always has a knack for the precise details," Joel said. "Alright, Sarah, fix up the pool."

I added a mini-Hershey bar as a the diving board, sticking a Sour Patch Kid on the top.

"I'm going to line the outside of the pool in Nerds," I said to Joel. "That way it shows the boundaries between the volleyball court and the lake."

"It's a pool," Joel said. "And that's fine."

I could hear Adam laughing. "You guys are so serious about this."

"Get your head in the game, Adam," I said, glancing toward him. "We've got a competition to win."

Adam saluted me with a slight laugh. "Yes ma'am."

"How's the other team's house looking?" I asked, glancing toward Terrence.

He was at the best vantage point for spying on them.

"Lots of sprinkles," he answered. "They're building something in an area enclosed by sweet tarts."

"Caden always overdoes it on the sprinkles," Joel said. "That'll be our advantage."

"Four more minutes!" Meredith called out.

"Shit," I muttered. "Let's go on the roof decorations, Adam."

I heard him laugh again. "Almost done, Chief."

I didn't have time to address his sarcasm, instead fueling my energy into creating a paddle board for the lake. Or pool as Joel says.

Using rainbow sour bites, I created a solid base for the Sour Patch Kid to stand on. I used a broken piece of a candy cane on the paddle.

"Nice touch," Terrence said. "What are you using for the volleyball net?"

"Same thing," I said, handing him a rainbow sour bite. "I need a net and a Sour Patch Kid on each side."

He nodded, setting to work.

"Roof is done," Adam said, taking a step back. "Does it have your stamp of approval, Commander?"

"It's a bit messy but it'll have to do."

He flipped me off. "You're welcome."

"One minute!" Meredith called out.

"Almost done?" I asked Joel.

He'd created a circle of Sour Patch Kids, and was breaking one in half. "I'll be finished."

"Volleyball net is good to go," Terrence said. "If we'd had more time we could've made stilts from the candy canes and plastered the net to them with icing."

"That's very ambitious," Adam said.

"Time's up!" Meredith called. "Hands up everyone."

The four of us put our hands up in the air, stepping away from our creation.

"The judges will be coming around," Lindsey said. "And we're not accepting bribes."

"Yeah, Aiden!" I called out.

His team began to boo at me, chucking leftover pieces of candy.

"We all know you guys bribed mom last year. Cheats!"

"Can't prove it!" Caden called back, sticking out his tongue.

I had to laugh.

Meredith started at the other teams' table, which consisted of Ryan, Caden, Aiden, and Lindsey.

Closely behind Meredith was Paisley, Aiden's oldest child at the age of six.

The two girls would be judging this year. I'd been hesitant, as Meredith's husband and Paisley's dad were on the opposing team. But Meredith had been a fair judge last year, unlike my cheating mom.

And I trusted Paisley to choose us because of her devoted love for Joel.

Uncle Joel was everybody's favorite.

After Meredith and Paisley checked out the other team's gingerbread house, they came over to us.

"Walk us through your creation here," Meredith said.

Paisley climbed up onto a chair so she could see better.

"This is the house," I said, gesturing toward the structure itself. "We went for a more neutral color of green, and used a Reeses Christmas Tree as the door."

"And a sweet tart as the doorknob," Terrence added.

I hadn't noticed it before. "Nice touch."

"The roof is decorated with these snowflake pretzel things," Adam said. "With white icing holding them down and a row of sweet tarts down the middle."

"Yum," Paisley said, smacking her lips.

We all laughed at that.

"The walkway is white icing with Nerds to give it a pop of color," I said. "And it's lined with miniature, broken candy canes."

Meredith nodded, her face impassive.

"This is the lake pool," Joel said, gesturing toward the blue icing. "With a Sour Patch Kid, who I've named Billy, going for a ride on his paddle board."

"Over here is the volleyball court," Terrence said. "With yellow icing for sand and a sour rainbow bite as the net."

"Our two avid volleyball players, Adam and Eve, are playing," Joel added.

I had to hide my laugh behind my hand. "Adam and Eve, really?"

"The best I had off the top of my head."

"And what's this red area over here?" Meredith asked, gesturing toward the circle of Sour Patch Kids."

"Well, as you can imagine, this is an expensive place to upkeep," Joel said. "And these Sour Patch Kids don't make the money necessary to pay their landlord for such a luxurious property."

Meredith slowly nodded.

"What does that mean?" Paisley asked.

"It means that they don't have enough money to buy the house," Meredith said.

"Oh. Poor little Sour Patch Kids."

This time Terrence laughed.

"Because they didn't want to lose their house, they had to strike a deal," I said. "Their